of the by-products of that would have been something that was not only calamitous for the game, but cal ripken's consecutive game played streak would have been stopped. those weren't the reasons that we intervened, but nonetheless, those were by-products which could have caused serious harm to the game. >> host: did you view the major league players' association as a traditional union? >> guest: well, i think -- yes. i think we viewed it that way, and i think that most obvious servers of collective bargaining and baseball have viewed them that way. they are a traditional union, but they perform many functions that a union in auto or steel or lek -- electronics, construction would not perform. because what the union does is simply in baseball and other sports bargain minimum standards on salary, a minimum wage. but as we know, the owners frequently do negotiate -- sometimes to their a everlasting regret as is the case, i think, with the yankees now with rodriguez -- amounts of money, sums which are considerably above the minimum. and as well they negotiate the pension. one of the things